Reddit is testing a new AI search feature that turns community recommendations into shoppable results. A small group of U.S. users will start seeing product carousels, complete with pricing and buy links, when they search things like “best noise-canceling headphones.” The products are pulled directly from user discussions, then matched with retail partners. (TechCrunch)

Meta is shutting down messenger.com in April 2026. Desktop users will be redirected to Facebook’s web inbox, while mobile Messenger keeps running. The move comes as Meta scales back its plan to integrate Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram into a single back-end. Fewer platforms = less maintenance, but more focus on keeping all messaging inside Facebook and mobile apps. (Social Media Today)

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Accenture just made AI part of the promotion checklist. Senior managers and associate directors now need to regularly use the company’s AI tools if they want leadership roles. It’s part of a broader push to become fully “AI-enabled,” after retraining more than 550,000 employees on generative AI. The rule doesn’t apply everywhere, but they’ve made it pretty clear that AI is becoming table stakes for moving up the corporate ladder. (CNBC)

Bank of America is committing $25 billion to private credit deals, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. Basically, traditional banks aren’t giving up ground to private lenders without a fight. As alternative asset managers have scooped up corporate borrowers facing tighter post-crisis rules, big banks are pushing back. Rivals like JPMorgan Chase are making similar moves, signaling that private credit isn’t just competition anymore, it’s the next battleground. (Reuters)

Amazon just edged past Walmart in annual revenue for the first time, marking a symbolic shift in a rivalry decades in the making. Both giants are racing far beyond retail. Amazon’s cloud, ads, and seller services now power a big slice of its sales, while Walmart is scaling ads, marketplaces, and AI partnerships to boost margins and discovery. (CNBC)

In the 19th century, during the Qing Dynasty, the remote mountain villages of Pingxi on the island of Taiwan were frequent targets for seasonal bandits. Families would often flee into the surrounding hills for safety, leaving behind only a few lookouts to monitor the town from a distance. When the danger had finally passed and the bandits retreated, these lookouts would release large paper lanterns into the night sky. These glowing beacons served as a silent, beautiful signal to those in hiding that it was finally safe to return home.

What began as a communication tool has since transformed into one of Taiwan’s most poignant cultural celebrations, marking the final day of the Lunar New Year. The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is now a massive gathering where releasing a lantern has shifted from signaling safety to sending prayers into the heavens. Participants write their deepest wishes for health, success, or love on the sides of the rice-paper structures before releasing them into the mountain air. The valley will be illuminated by synchronized waves of hundreds of lanterns rising at once. This collective release creates a "milky way" of flickering orange lights against the dark forest backdrop, symbolizing a fresh start and the release of the past year's burdens.

In 2026, the primary mass release events are scheduled for February 27th at Pingxi Junior High School and March 3rd at Shifen Sky Lantern Square. Vouchers for launching a lantern are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Even for those who do not launch a lantern themselves, the sight of hundreds of glowing signals rising against the forest backdrop remains a significant cultural experience. The tradition continues to serve as a public display of optimism, connecting a centuries-old survival signal to modern hopes for the future.

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